The Grill’d franchise, the Melbourne based chain of specialist burger bars is starting the year in celebratory mode. This month it celebrates the second birthday of its first store in Hawthorn, and next month it plans to open its first franchise at Knox O-Zone.
The restaurant franchise has four stores in Melbourne: in Hawthorn, Malvern, St Kilda and Windsor.
“We are very excited about the opening of our first franchised store in Melbourne which we expect to open in April,” said Megan Agosta, business development manager, Grill’d.
Agosta said that Grill’d has also secured two other Melbourne metropolitan sites, but it has yet to be determined whether they will be franchises or company owned stores.
“In Melbourne, it is likely that we will have a higher concentration of company-owned stores than interstate,” she said.
The company’s founder, Simon Crowe, developed the Grill’d concept in response to a gap in the Australian market for healthy hamburgers. The result is a fresh, vibrant concept of eat in or take away dining, where customers can watch their flame grilled burgers being cooked to order.
The healthy meal-sized burgers are made from 100 percent beef, chicken breast or lamb and there are also veggie patties. Many of the burgers incorporate non-traditional toppings such as cranberry sauce, roasted capsicum, Brie cheese or avocado. Crowe says that Grill’d burger bars attract active, social, urban, health and quality conscious consumers from the local area.
Grill’d shareholders include managing director Simon Crowe, whose experience includes international brand management at Foster’s Group and sales and marketing positions at Procter & Gamble; Simon McNamara, director and shareholder of Boost Juice and Geoff Bainbridge, managing director of Icon Jewellery (Australia) and former MD of Oakley South Pacific.
Simon Crowe says that the Grill’d business has significant growth potential and a long-term future.
“The Australian market has the potential to accommodate 100 plus high revenue stores. The system is already proven. Each store resonates strongly with the local community and each is delivering healthy profits,” he said.
Plans for interstate expansion are underway, with Queensland earmarked as the next state to experience the Grill’d concept.
“We have our sights set on Queensland as our next market and have been investigating possible sites. At this stage we have not advertised for franchisees in that market yet,” said Agosta.
Crowe said that Grill’d owners and management have the hands-on experience to successfully operate the business.
“To establish a successful branded network it is imperative that the owners demonstrate the scalability of the concept across multiple outlets. Grill’d has positively completed this phase of its development. Interstate expansion is imminent.”
Dependent on location and store size, a Grill’d burger bar franchise is expected to cost between $300,000 and $400,000.
There will be ongoing royalty and marketing fees based on a percentage of the store’s income.
16-May-2006